The present invention relates to new variety of St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) designated TBLL. All publications cited in this application are herein incorporated by reference.
Turfgrass plays a major role in our daily life. Turfgrass, from a beautification standpoint, provides a canvas for landscaped areas contributing to aesthetic appeal and adding to economic value. Recreational facilities include an array of sports fields, golf courses, parks and lawns. Turfgrass also provides functional value including dust control, erosion control, reduced surface temperatures and glare reduction.
Use and appearance are important considerations for turfgrass. To best serve a particular function, the turf should be suitable for the use for which it is intended and aesthetically appealing. Turfgrass should also be well-adapted to the environment where it will be planted. Based on climatic adaptation, turfgrass species have been placed into four categories: adapted for cool humid regions, warm humid regions, cool arid regions, and warm arid regions. The major turfgrasses adapted to the cool humid regions, and irrigated areas of the cool arid regions, are species of Agrostis, Poa, Festuca, and Lolium. In the warm humid and irrigated areas of the warm arid regions, the major adapted turfgrasses are species of Cynodon, Zoysia, Stenotaphrum, Eremochloa, Paspalum, Festuca, and Agropyron. In the non-irrigated warm arid regions, species of Buchloe, Bouteloua are Cynodon adapted.
St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), also known as Buffalo grass, Charleston grass, and others, is a warm-season turfgrass that is adapted to warm, humid regions. St. Augustine grass is a fast-growing grass that has a medium to dark green color and coarse leaf texture. St. Augustine grass grows best in moist and somewhat fertile soils, but does normally not withstand waterlogged or droughty sites. St. Augustine grass has a high tolerance for heat, shade and soil salinity, but generally has poor tolerance for cold temperatures. Because St. Augustine grass is usually not wear tolerant, it is used for lawns and general purpose turf, but not for high traffic sports turf. With proper maintenance, St. Augustine grass will provide a dense, lush cover that effectively crowds out most weeds. The major insect pest of St. Augustine grass is the chinch bug and the major disease problem is St. Augustine grass decline virus (SADV).
A number of cultivars of St. Augustine grass have been developed, some of which are considered better for home lawns than others. Common St. Augustine grass has been grown since the 1800s and produces a light green, coarse, open lawn that is typically susceptible to chinch bugs and herbicide damage, cold, and shade damage. Bitterblue was selected from common St. Augustine grass in the 1930s for its finer leaf texture, darker blue-green color, and better turf density, but it is not resistant to chinch bugs or gray leaf spot disease. Other improved varieties include Floratam, Floratine, Floralawn, Raleigh and Seville.
Propagation of St. Augustine grass has historically been vegetative using stolons, plugs or sod in spite of the fact that some seed production has been noticed and attempted over the years. The problem has been that the commercial seed production has failed due to low levels of seed production and very low viability of the seed produced. Due to these difficulties, seed is not an established method to propagate St. Augustine grass.
It is therefore desirable to have St. Augustine grass with an improved, high-quality turf type that produces viable seed in sufficient quantity as to make seed production commercially viable.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification.